Can defrosted meat be cooked rare or medium rare?

I found some rump steaks on offer the other day and bought 12 of them. I cooked 2 of them to rare/medium-rare but the others have gone into the freezer. I'll be defrosting them one by one over the next few months, but my question is, is it safe to cook them to rare, or do they need to be well done (and chewy )?

I do all the time. I dont get an upset stomach. Im not sure what the exact guidelines are about eating previously frozen meat but i do know that most bacteria in meat is only on the surface of the steak etc. as it has been touched by fingers, the cutting surface and the cutting implement (known as vehicles of bacteria in food circles) If you give the steak a good searing in some hot fat then you should kill any bacteria. I know there are issues with frozen meat possibly harbouring very tough resistant bacteria or other pathogens (the ones that survive the freezing) so you are taking a minor risk. Maybe do a google search or wikipedia search. I personally wouldnt worry about it

Anybody who has bought a quarter cow or more is eating all previously frozen meat. It's as safe as any meat if defrosted properly. Don't throw it on the countertop and go away for the day, coming back only when the thing is lukewarm. And keep it covered to prevent stuff "landing on it". If I need to put meat out to thaw on a workday, I will wrap it in a towel on the counter. That seems to insulate it enough to slow down the thawing to prevent it overheating. And the outer parts of the meat don't get too warm while the middle is still frozen. It acts like a mini-icebox. Then cook right away - don't put it back in the fridge for another time. That's where more danger lies.

I've never heard of it being an issue and I do it all the time. Freezing, from what I understand, greatly slows the bacterial growth so unless you've had the meat in the freezer for six months you should be fine. The issue that most people need to be careful of is refreezing the meat.